What Is . . . Aging Gracefully
Plenty of other people have written about aging gracefully and what that means, but often the term is used in the same sentence as the latest anti-aging product. Now, don’t get me wrong, I buy plenty of anti-aging products (one of my faves will be in this week’s Featured Fridays), but with the big 5-0 looming, I know that there is no escaping the effects of aging. In particular, there is no escaping the middle-aged belly that has become more obvious over the past few years. Oh, and the turkey neck. That darn turkey neck.
I love the ideas of body positivity and body acceptance, AND I am a woman in the world who is constantly bombarded with unrealistic images of fit and toned female bodies, along with “50 is the new 30!” Anybody see the photos of a 53-year-old Jennifer Anniston that came out last week? I didn’t even look like that when I was 30, so at 49? Not gonna happen. And I’m okay with that. Most of the time.
It’s those days when I post a photo on social media, and I see that pooch (belly, not a cute dog) sticking out more than it did a year ago, when loving my body isn’t so easy. Yes, I workout. Yes, I am (so thankfully) healthy. And while it’s not as easy as it used to be, gaining muscle is something my body does well. So, why is it so hard to appreciate what my body does for me?
Because aging is hard. Looking in the mirror and seeing our faces change, wrinkle a little more here and droop a little more there, is jarring. Because society tells us our worth decreases as we age, so buy more creams! More expensive creams! That are modeled by women in their 20s who don’t actually have wrinkles yet!
I do buy some of those creams, and some of them kind of work, but nothing but surgery is going to get rid of that turkey neck. Not really. And exercise won’t entirely get rid of that belly. And I want to age gracefully, really I do. I want to age gracefully by loving the body I have, right now, at the ripe old age of 49.
But I don’t think it’s entirely realistic to love the fact that I’m aging. The truth is, some days it sucks that I can’t erase the lines on my neck or lose that extra weight. And some days, I’m just happy to be healthy. Some days, I think I do okay for a middle-aged lady.
I think aging gracefully, at least for me, is a combination of buying that expensive anti-wrinkle cream because it might actually do something and help me feel better, and ignoring the messages that gaining a middle-aged pooch is the beginning of the end (because ultimately, that’s what the true fear is, right? The end. But that’s another topic).
So, I say it’s okay if I don’t love my belly some days and accept it on others. It’s okay if I pay too much for the rolling apparatus that doesn’t do anything for my turkey neck. And it’s okay if I expose those neck wrinkles to the world without a care in the world (I don’t look good in turtle necks, but again, that’s another topic).
What is aging gracefully? It’s struggling with it like everybody else. It’s good days and bad days. It’s laughing it off and appreciating those laugh lines for the joy that they bring. And it’s ignoring that belly because, let’s face it, I won’t live forever and I want another piece of chocolate cake before I go.
Age gracefully if you want, or battle those wrinkles with everything you’ve got. It’s all okay, as long as you . . .
Stay Curious.